Halton vs Knowsley: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £3,000 (2%) more in Knowsley than in Halton. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Halton | Knowsley | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | About average |
Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.
What the numbers say
Median full-time pay in Knowsley (£37,543) is 7% higher than in Halton (£35,187), while a typical terraced house costs 2% more (£148,000 against £145,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 4.1× annual pay in Halton and 3.9× in Knowsley. Renting one takes 26% of pay in Halton and 28% in Knowsley. Renting is harder in Knowsley; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Halton is the 41st least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Knowsley is the 30th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Halton is the 43rd least expensive of 316 areas and Knowsley is the 76th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Halton would need about £41,000 in Knowsley to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £46,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Knowsley would leave you worse placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.
Police recorded 84.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Halton and 81.8 in Knowsley, so recorded crime per resident is 3% lower in Knowsley. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 4.4 per 1,000 in Halton against 2.5 in Knowsley.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Halton | Knowsley |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,187 | £37,543 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.1× | 3.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 121% | 127% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 26% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Halton | Knowsley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £346,000 | £310,000 | -10% in Knowsley |
| Semi-detached | £210,000 | £205,000 | -2% in Knowsley |
| Terraced | £145,000 | £148,000 | +2% in Knowsley |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Halton | Knowsley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,066 | £1,281 | +20% in Knowsley |
| Semi-detached | £813 | £931 | +15% in Knowsley |
| Terraced | £751 | £874 | +16% in Knowsley |
Crime
Police recorded 84.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Halton and 81.8 in Knowsley, so recorded crime per resident is 3% lower in Knowsley.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Halton | Knowsley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 84.7 | 81.8 | -3% in Knowsley |
| Violence against the person | 38.4 | 35.4 | -8% in Knowsley |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 2.5 | -42% in Knowsley |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 0.6 | -19% in Knowsley |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.5 | 2.9 | -35% in Knowsley |
| Vehicle offences | 2.7 | 2.0 | -24% in Knowsley |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 0.1 | -67% in Knowsley |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.6 | 9.2 | +40% in Knowsley |
Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.
How prices have changed in each area
Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.
Show the figures
| Year | Halton | Knowsley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 107 |
| 2007 | 114 | 113 |
| 2008 | 111 | 111 |
| 2009 | 98 | 95 |
| 2010 | 100 | 97 |
| 2011 | 97 | 93 |
| 2012 | 95 | 93 |
| 2013 | 96 | 92 |
| 2014 | 100 | 95 |
| 2015 | 103 | 97 |
| 2016 | 109 | 101 |
| 2017 | 113 | 108 |
| 2018 | 115 | 111 |
| 2019 | 120 | 113 |
| 2020 | 123 | 117 |
| 2021 | 139 | 131 |
| 2022 | 154 | 146 |
| 2023 | 156 | 153 |
| 2024 | 161 | 156 |
| 2025 | 173 | 165 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 180 | 167 |
In 2005 the average home cost £108,487 in Halton and £113,753 in Knowsley. Now it is £194,907 and £190,109: Halton is up 80% and Knowsley is up 67%. Prices have risen faster in Halton, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Halton | Knowsley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.4 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.8 years of pay | 4.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.5 years of pay | 4.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.4 years of pay | 4.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.3 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.4 years of pay in Halton and 5.9 years in Knowsley. In 2025 it was 5.3 years and 5.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Halton over that time.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Halton | Knowsley |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 101 |
| 2017 | 101 | 103 |
| 2018 | 102 | 104 |
| 2019 | 103 | 105 |
| 2020 | 104 | 105 |
| 2021 | 106 | 109 |
| 2022 | 110 | 113 |
| 2023 | 117 | 121 |
| 2024 | 126 | 135 |
| 2025 | 132 | 143 |
| August 2026 | 142 | 158 |
In 2015 the average rent was £529 a month in Halton and £542 in Knowsley. Now it is £749 and £858: up 42% in Halton and up 58% in Knowsley. Rents have risen faster in Knowsley.
What your salary is worth in each area
Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Halton to Knowsley
| Earning in Halton | Equivalent to buy in Knowsley | Equivalent to rent in Knowsley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £35,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £46,500 |
| £50,000 | £51,000 | £58,000 |
| £60,000 | £61,000 | £70,000 |
Moving from Knowsley to Halton
| Earning in Knowsley | Equivalent to buy in Halton | Equivalent to rent in Halton |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £26,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £34,500 |
| £50,000 | £49,000 | £43,000 |
| £60,000 | £59,000 | £51,500 |